Legs, Foundational Strength

 Legs are the foundation of our body. Strong or weak, the legs determine the rest of our body. Aesthetically, nobody wants a huge upper body and chicken legs. These are the foundation of physical longevity, functional mobility, and total-body strength, driving stability, power, and metabolic health. 

Many people in physical therapy have to work their legs to rebuild stability. This stability is essential for mobility as well as overall health. Fall prevention and even getting out of chairs makes life more enjoyable. Nobody really wants to be helped out of a chair.

Strong legs, being the largest muscle group in the body, boost metabolism. 

Exercises

I am suggesting a five exercise split that will, in my experience, hit your leg muscles with near complete efficiency. It is quad heavy, but will include all the muscles of your lower body. One or more of these you may have avoided in the past, but now it is time to grit your teeth and grow your legs. 

Bulgarian Split Squats

Lunge

Wall Sits 

Single Leg Calf Raise

Squats

You will likely notice that this design does exhaust the legs prior to what is considered the big lift, squats. Make no mistake about it, done right (proper form and depth) Bulgarian Split Squats and lunges will exhaust your legs. This will force you to use a lighter weight in squat than you may normally do. Think of this as a benefit. It takes some of the pressure off of your back in deep squats. For lifters like me, tall and with long limbs, this is a benefit as hitting deep squats forces the upper body forward. This lean can stress the lower and mid back.

The Bulgarian split squats place between 80% to 95% of your body weight on your front leg. When doing these you can add weight with dumbbells, a weighted vest, or a barbell. Whatever you choose be safe in your application of the weight. The form is quite simple. your rear foot on an elevated surface and your front foot far enough forward so your shin remains nearly vertical at the bottom of the movement. Keep your torso upright for quads, or lean forward slightly for glutes, ensuring 90% of your weight stays on the front leg. Also, the higher you place your rear foot the deeper you can go in this. A three foot tall box for me allows me to go deep enough that my glutes are a few inches from my heel.

For lunges I do rear lunges. You can choose front or side lunges to suit your tastes. By that I mean lean into what is the hardest for you. Keep your body upright, keeping your front knee aligned over your ankle, and bending both knees to approximately 90 degrees as you lower your body. Some say to not go so deep that your knee passes over your toes. I have never found that to be a problem, knee going past toes that is. It does not hurt me. We are all built different, so listen to your body.

Wall sits are fairly easy as far as the form goes. Thighs are to be at a 90 degree angle to your torso and to your lower legs. Get into position and hold for as long as you can or for a set number of seconds for each set. 

The single leg calf raise is self explanatory.

Squats are far more technical with weights. That said, you want your hip feet about shoulders width and your feet angled out at the toes slightly. When you sit back and down lower yourself to the minimum depth of having your hip joint on a line with your knees. That line should be parallel to the floor. If you can manage deeper then go deeper. I squat nearly to my ankles. Do what works for you.

Whether you apply these with weights or your body weight as in calisthenics, you will find your legs getting stronger and larger over the next few weeks.

There is currently a big push for military styled calisthenics. This is an excellent taste of what you can do without weights. I have also done these techniques with weights, but starting with squats. I find this leg routine works best when done in the order presented above. 

If any of these exercises cause pain, not soreness but pain, stop immediately and ask your doctor about it.

Train hard. See you next week.

Shoulder Work Ahead

 We just reviewed some information and exercises that together can make the appearance of a tighter waste. Cardio and muscle building are two parts of the equation. In that abdominal review I also mentioned tha broader shoulders will make the waist appear more slim. 

Today, I want to go over the shoulder anatomy and how to hit all parts of the shoulder for size and functional strength.

Anatomy

The shoulder is made up of three strips of muscle and their connecting tissue. The structure allows for rotation of the arm through a wide variety of angles. This is the most mobile joint we have in our body. 

The three parts of the shoulder muscles are anterior deltoid, lateral deltoid, and posterior deltoid. These three muscles hold the joint together majestically. 

The frontal or anterior deltoid gets lots of work and stimulation through pushing exercises such as bench press and pushups. Too easy, right?

The posterior deltoid or rear deltoid is used in pulling. Rowing of any sort engages this muscle. 

It is the central or lateral deltoid that seems to get ignored in calisthenics and some gym routines. It is important to focus on building this muscle as well for the overall stability of th shoulder joint. Aesthetically, it broadens the shoulders appearance. As stated already, broader shoulders make the waist appear smaller and support the image of overall strength and power. 

Exercising

With weights there are numerous ways to target this muscle. In calisthenics we are somewhat limited as to how to work these lateral deltoids. 

Jumping Jacks are a wonderful way to start moving the shoulders. This will include the trapezius muscles as well. Bonus, right? 

Quite simply, pike pushups and handstands are how to target this lateral head more directly. If you cannot do a pike pushup, which we will detail below, use stair steps to elevate your shoulders enough to complete the required number of repetitions. 

Pike Pushup

1. Get into a plank or pushup position
2. Walk your feet in until your body bends at the hips to more than 90 degrees 
3. Bend your arms lowering your forehead to the floor
4. Press and lift your forehead away from the floor until your arms lock straight

Simple concept. It may not be so simple to do these after having done several regular pushups. If that is the case use stair steps to elevate your shoulders to a point at which you can perform your required repetitions. 

Handstands

In the handstand position, with or without your feet against the wall, puts 100% of your body on your hands and shoulders. This will engage all of your deltoids as well as your trapezius to support your weight. 

If you cannot hold your weight in this position for long there is a progression technique to use that will train you for doing a full handstand. Pike stands. 

For the pike stand you bend at the hips to 90 degrees. You place your feet in a step or a chair so that some of your body weight is supported for you. The deeper into said support you go, the less weight is on your shoulders. For instance, you use a chair to provide the support. Instead of putting your feet in the chair you put your knees. This puts more weight on the chair and allows even the novice or beginner to start making reps in the pike position. 

When you have built up adequate strength you can place your feet against the wall in a pile to continue training up to the handstand pushup. 

Bonus, while in a handstand position do some shrugs. Target those trapezius muscles. These will thicken the back of your neck and provide impressive support for your widening shoulders. 

Train regularly. Train hard. As always, talk to your doctor before beginning a new program. 

Exercises for Mobility in Aging

 The rate at which we age is predetermined. The rates at which we lose strength and flexibility are known ranges. This also follows for physical power. Functional fitness is that which enables us to continue our activities of daily living with little to no impact. We gain this through strength training, flexibility training, and balance work. Functional exercises should strengthen the muscles we use for daily activities. These should prolong our ability and capacity to move.

Functional exercises include:

•   Walking
•   Squats
•   Lunges
•   Push Ups
•   Pull Ups
•   Deadlift
•   Farmers Carry

These exercises require little to no equipment, with the exception of deadlift and farmers carry. 

That is to say that as we age exercising becomes far more important. This is not so much about looking good on the beach as it is being able to move through daily life. This is our personal independence I am talking about. It also impacts our mental state through endorphins. 

Doing exercises daily is also known as greasing the groove. In this none of the movements you practice should be done to failure. 

This technique allows for a more efficient mind-muscle connection. This connection leads to quicker gains than training to failure a few times per week. What this looks like is 50% to 70% of maximum capacity. Where one might be able to do 20 squats before failure, in greasing the groove (GTG) you would do 10 to 14 squats daily. 

As these sets are sub-maximal your mind-muscle connections builds faster. This leads to greater efficiency with each rep. Each rep is therefore cleaner and more effective. 

As for the exercises chosen the list includes those that support symmetry in muscular development and those that mimic daily life activities. 

Walking is an easy way to burn calories and build bone density. It is low impact and there is no specialized equipment needed. You can literally walk any time anywhere you want. 

Squatting deep makes getting into and out of chairs and several couches far easier. It mimics many movements necessary from just going about your business to getting yourself up off the floor.

Lunges are an excellent exercise to do after squats. These partially isolate your legs as well as work the muscles in different ranges than squats do. Excellent for strength, flexibility, and range of motion.

Pushups maintain your chest, triceps, and frontal part of your shoulders. This exercise is easily using ⅓ of the muscles in your body.

Pull-ups or chinups are an outstanding compliment to pushups. Our bodies thrive in symmetry. Once you’ve done the pushups grab an overhead bar and do some reps. This is using all the muscles in your back with the exception of your spinal erectors.

Squats, pushups, and chinups will engage most every muscle in your body thus providing an excellent metabolic boost. Proficiency in these exercises will make most of your daily activities feel easy.

Deadlift and Farmers Carry require extra equipment. These are important exercises still. They push the boundaries on what we can lift, hold, and carry. All very important as we age and, hopefully, have grandkids. Being able to pick up your grandchild is eminently important as is being able to play on the floor with your grandchild. 

Aging is a privilege denied to some. Do not waste your time sitting about and requiring assistance. Talk to your doctor about these and other recommended exercises for your mobility.

Aging and Exercise

 As we grow older, maintaining our health and vitality becomes increasingly important, and exercise plays a pivotal role in this pursuit. Aging naturally brings changes to our bodies, including decreased muscle mass, reduced bone density, and slower metabolism. Engaging in regular physical activity helps counteract these effects, promoting not only physical strength but also mental well-being.

Exercise supports cardiovascular health, improves balance and flexibility, and enhances mobility, all of which contribute to a higher quality of life and greater independence. Beyond the physical benefits, staying active can reduce the risk of chronic diseases such as diabetes, heart disease, and osteoporosis. It also stimulates cognitive function, potentially delaying the onset of age-related mental decline.

In essence, exercise is not just about adding years to life but adding life to years. It empowers older adults to stay active, engaged, and healthy, making the aging process more graceful and fulfilling. Recognizing the value of movement at every stage encourages us to embrace exercise as a lifelong habit that enriches both body and mind.

Sarcopenia, or age-related muscle loss, typically begins around 30 years of age. It is a progressive loss of muscle mass and strength as well as function. 10% to 20% of older adults experience decreased mobility, higher risk of falls, and bone fragility. Hormonal changes and inactivity are the key factors. It is a progressive decline in which we lose 3% to 5% of our muscle mass per decade. A sedentary lifestyle is the simplest factor we can change. 

I cannot say that one exercise type is best, as combinations of training techniques show the best results. That is to say, a mix of aerobic, strength, and balance training will serve the older athlete well. How you mix these techniques is up to you and your doctor. The total time per week that you want to fill is 150 minutes. 

The best exercise for aging is a combination of aerobic, strength, and balance activities. Key exercises include walking, swimming, cycling, yoga, tai chi, and lifting weights. These activities maintain mobility, prevent falls, and improve cardiovascular health. Strength training also maintains bone density. Together, these activities prevent falls and related injuries.

Training frequency can be as simple as making these daily activities. One can also break the training out over alternating days. How you choose to fit this in is up to you. I find alternating days works best for me with strength training while walking daily, sometimes multiple walks per day.

Strength training can be as simple as push-ups, pull-ups, and squats. The only equipment needed is a pull-up bar. Too easy. 

Lifting weights is also excellent in regard to fighting muscle loss. Key exercises would include some rowing or pull-down exercise for your back, shoulders, and biceps. A pushing exercise for chest, shoulders, and arms. Also, include squats or deadlifts for legs. Done properly and with correct form, these three exercises will work your three major muscle groups and a number of supporting muscles. All you would need after that is something for your core, your abdominals. 

Muscles stiffen with age as well. This makes daily activities difficult. Putting on socks and tying shoes should not leave one breathless. Stretching regularly is imperative. You do not have to break a sweat stretching, nor does it have to hurt. Gentle stretching will improve mobility and flexibility when done daily. 

Check with your physician to be certain your health can handle what you are thinking about doing. Stay strong.

Push Ups.

 Push ups. We have all done them. Have we done them right? Some have and some have not. This is an important exercise for fitness and body stability. Whether you have done them before or not is not the point. The point is they are are marker of health. The more you do the better your health. 

The more repetitions you can do the better your physical and cardiovascular health is. You will find that, at higher repetitions, your heart is beating faster and you are breathing harder. 

This is a weight bearing exercise. As such it will strengthen your bones as well as the supporting muscles and tendons. Bone density is a marker tracked as you get older. This lowers your risk for breaking bones later in life. 

How may should you be able to do? Strength declines with age unless you fight it tooth and nail. How many push ups you can do will naturally vary by age. 

• Men (Standard Push-ups)
• 20–29: 15–24 (Avg) / 35–45+ (Exc)
• 30–39: 12–24 (Avg) / 30–40+ (Exc)
• 40–49: 10–20 (Avg) / 25–35+ (Exc)
• 50–59: 8–15 (Avg) / 20–30+ (Exc)
• 60+: 6–12 (Avg) / 20–29+ (Exc)
• Women (Modified/Knee Push-ups)
• 20–29: 10–20 (Avg) / 25+ (Exc)
• 30–39: 10–19 (Avg) / 22+ (Exc)
• 40–49: 8–15 (Avg) / 20+ (Exc)
• 50–59: 5–12 (Avg) / 15+ (Exc)
• 60+: 3–10 (Avg) / 12+ (Exc

I am at the age where I should only have to do a few; however, I am working on getting one arm push ups. Do not let me out do you. 

10% to 15% can perform 50 or more push ups while 25% cannot perform even one push up. This is important as a measure of health and strength. It is a large reason behind the military doing so many. Being able to do 40+ consecutively significantly lowers cardiac risks. This exercise gives you a strong chest, shoulders, and triceps. It also engages your core for stability and your thighs for support. 

How do you get better at doing push ups? You do more. Break it down into sets and start with 50 reps total per day. For instance you will do 5 sets of 10 repetitions daily for two weeks. At this point you may move to two sets of 25. Then, you keep at it to get your 50 each day.

Maybe you like to bulldoze through things. I get that. You want to do 50 straight away. Do as may full body push ups that you can. When you hit positive failure, that point at which you cannot do another push up, bend your legs. Do the rest of your 50 from your knees. This is a powerful volume building technique. As you do this daily you will find yourself doing higher and higher repetitions at the full plank position. 

However you do it, get there. Push ups are important to your body and its function. First, talk to your doctor about what your health and fitness goals are. Make sure that you are physically capable of handling what you are thinking.

Push ups. Do it now, move!

HIIT: Is It Worth It?

 High intensity interval training (HIIT) is it worth it? This is a training technique that should last about 20 to 30 minutes. Doing it for longer brings risks, but is doable for the advanced athlete. 

Typically windsprints and Tabata drills are what comes to mind with HIIT. Personally, I like these styles of training. These are fast, full body, effective techniques. These, and other styles or routines, do bring inherent risks. These risks can be dealt with as your ability increases. 

Let’s first look at some of the risks of such training. Primarily, due to the force being exerted tendon and muscle injuries are possible. Warm ups are highly recommended. Stretching afterwards is also helpful in avoiding pain and injury. 

Like any good thing, too much can be harmful. Cortisol, a stress hormone, builds up rapidly. This can be dealt with through nutrition. You want to have adequate antioxidants in your diet. Antioxidants will scavenge both free-radicals and cortisol. This results in less point workout pain, or delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS). 

Joint injuries are also a risk. Focusing on form is going to mitigate this risk. Proper form, in all exercise techniques and styles, is paramount. There are videos, articles, trainer advice, coaching and more available for how to perform an exercise and routine. Please, take advantage of all resources. Also, talk to your doctor so any physical concerns can be addressed. I ease into new exercises so I can listen to my body and how it responds to the new stress. Form, as stated, is the goal, the right movement for body type and structure. As with any skill, practice makes better.

Now, why do HIIT? This type of training maximizes fat loss, builds muscle, and does this in a minimum amount of time. I like the long workouts, I get that. Sometimes those are not possible due to time constraints. 10, 15, 20 minutes of a full body high intensity cycle can fit the bill. At my last job I’d have an hour for lunch. I would spend that time in the gym. I had only an hour. Some of you may have this constraint as well. 

Most workouts should take 30 minutes minimum. This is how long a body takes to start burning fat under moderate intensity. For HIIT you need a minimum of 10 to 15 minutes. The difference has to do with HIIT using larger proportions of muscle to complete. Tabata Runs are a perfect example. You run hard, 80 to 90 percent of maximum effort, do 20 seconds. Then walk/jog for 10 seconds. This pattern is done for eight cycles or four minutes. Muscle engagement in this is far more intense than a moderate jog for 30 minutes. 

Look at your endurance athletes versus sprinters. Which has a more muscular build? Sprinters are far more muscular overall than distance runners. This is due to how the body is used and the relative intensity over the duration of the exercise. 

Being a full body, or near full body, event makes for effective and efficient workouts. These type of workouts burn fat rapidly while conducting them. The fat burn is more than extended periods of moderate intensity workouts. Say, jogging at a moderate pace in comparison to HIIT. You will burn more calories in HIIT in 20 minutes than 30 minutes of jogging. This also improves your cardiovascular health at a quicker rate. 

Equipment is a minimum. I use my porch and a door frame pull-up bar. You can essentially do these workouts at the local park as easily in your garage. A pull-up bar is not going to break the bank. I have jogged to my local park, used the equipment there for pulling and for dips, and then walked back. All I had to give was the time and dedication to do the exercises. 

In the beginning you will want to start at 10 to 20 minutes. These are intense workouts and will push you to your limits. Advanced athletes can handle more time like an hour.